Flight home!

We were able to get a direct flight this time so our flight was only 5 hours instead of 7 and a half. It was still a really long day getting home and I used every toy, treat and movie I had and Cohen still had a hard time the last couple hours, but we made it! Cohen also had his own seat this time so that made it so much easier and more comfortable!

As we were coming into Salt Lake, Cohen was watching from the window. He saw the water below from the Great Salt Lake that looked white and got so excited and started yelling "snow"! He looks a little zoned from our trip! :)

Waiting to get off the plane! We made it!!!

Last day in Boston

We got to enjoy a beautiful day at the pool right before we packed up to come home. There hadn't been a warm enough day for swimming yet, so I was excited! We had fun with all the girls that were out there and we splashed around with Cole in the water. Cohen loved jumping into my arms and wiggling all through the water.

Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end...

So, we are in the process of packing and heading home!
For a few days Scott and I deliberated and prayed and the conclusion we have come to is, it is time for our family to move on back to Utah. We are so thankful we came to Massachusetts and had this amazing experience with all of these awesome people!!! We learned so much and got way more than we thought we would out of this experience. We now have a closer relationship as a couple and family, we have spent a lot of time on our knees trying to figure out what is right for our family and this has strengthened our testimonies and our relationship with our Heavenly Father. We are so grateful for this...

Things were great while we were here, but it is now our time to leave, so we say goodbye to beautiful Boston and look forward to the new adventures that await!

Boston Common, Public Garden, Newbury Street and Faneuil Hall

Scott and I spent the day together exploring Boston and left Cohen with Ashley and Regan (Thanks so much you guys!) We got off the T at Boston Common, then headed to the Public Garden and walked down along Newbury St. After grabbing some dinner we walked back through everything and made our way up to Faneuil Hall so Scott could get a look at it too. Here it all is in detail! :)

Boston Common is the starting point of the Freedom Trail and is the oldest park in the country. It's almost 50 acres in size and was filled with people lounging on blankets eating, sleeping and reading, playing frisbee, enjoying funnel cakes (like we did!) and lots of people walking their dogs!
The Common has a long history and has been used for many different purposes. Public hangings took place here until 1817 and grazing cattle filled it until 1830. Also, in 1775 British troops camped in Boston Common prior to the Revolution.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II have given speeches at the Common, along with other celebrities. It continues to be a stage for free speech which we experienced first hand hearing a man shout his religious speech at passerbyers.

This squirrel below made me laugh. It was just "hanging out" on a tree munching some food!


We enjoyed wandering through the Public Garden and seeing George Washington and the swan boats.



This is the Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54^th Regiment Memorial.
It serves as a memorial to the group of men who were among the first African Americans to fight in a war. (Civil War)
Augustus Saint-Gaudens took nearly 14 years to complete this bronze monument, which celebrates the sacrifices made by these men.
It is amazing to see it up close, in detail and to again, think about all the history that makes this country what it is today.

We then walked along Newbury Street which had great shopping, (especially if you don't mind paying an arm and a leg, YIKES!) restaurants and another one of Bostons many beautiful churches.

Here is the Massechusetts State House and a memorial for a woman named Mary Dyer who was a Quaker and a witness for religious freedom. She was hung in the common in 1660.
Religious freedom is something I know I have taken for granted, seeing this memorial put things into perspective for me more than I had experienced before...

Here we are manuvering the curvy Boston roads making our way to Faneuil Hall and once we arrived, Scott quickly made a friend.

We loved spending the day together, just the two (and a half) of us, and had so much fun getting to know Boston a little better!

Harvard Square

Jen and I drove into Cambridge on Saturday with the kids to check out Harvard! Our plan was to go on the tour at 11 with some of the other girls, but all of us didn't make it there in time so we did some exploring of our own for a bit...
(This old church is beautiful! Click on the pic and look at the detail.)

































It's all about history here and I can't help myself but to stop at every monument or old building and stare... this cemetery was interesting to me looking at rows and rows of hand carved small, medium and large headstones, most without any information on them.
This woman was playing a glass harmonica which was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. It sounds beautiful! It's amazing how it's just glass, but plays complex music. Mozart and Beethoven composed pieces for this instrument as well. It's use died out because they didn't have ways to amplify the sound and it couldn't be heard in concert halls. This is a very rare talent now... online it said there are only a dozen or so performers worldwide. I would have lingered a little longer if I had known! I will try to catch it on video next time I head up if she is there.
There are bridges over all of the small and wide rivers and the water is filled with canoes and sailboats.

This building reminded us of the one in the movie Just Like Heaven.
As we drove by we noticed there are wall murals all over the area in color and black and white.











Neat old brick buildings line the streets everywhere you look.








The view of Boston from Cambridge

Quincy Market at Faneuil Hall

Like I mentioned before, there is a really fun group of girls out here!

Last Saturday most of us went into Boston to check out Faneuil Hall.
We all rode the T together and when we came up from underground... we were right in the middle of the city!Here is the whole group that was able to go. You should have seen us climbing and descending stair cases with all these strollers! We also got lots of stares of people wondering where all these babies came from! Go ask your mom...
12 girls and 7 babies! Good thing we out numbered the kids!
Chelsea, Michelle, Shawna, Staci, Nicole, Katie & baby Macie, Erin & baby Ben, Alicia & baby Cohen, Vanessa & baby Chloe, Megan, Allison, Rachel, and babies Brock, Jack, and Ella
(I forgot my camera that day so I swiped these off of a couple of the girls blogs. Thanks Staci and Michelle!)

It was a lot cooler than any of us planned (I forget that we live so close to the ocean) so we quickly went to seek shelter and food inside the long large building, Quincy Market, that runs down the center of Faneuil Hall and all the shops.
It has tons of places to eat with lots of "Boston Chowda" and fish. I found the best fries and pasta here too!

We shopped a little and watched some street performers, then soon headed home.
Here we are making our way back, waiting for the T.
Cohen did pretty well and didn't get out of his stroller until the ride home. He sat next to me on the train and said "Wow!" as we flew down the tracks. He wasn't afraid this time and enjoyed the ride!